I thought I’d share with you all a portion from You Can Blog. As we get toward the final stages of draft writing, and the editors begin hacking and slashing, we’ll be trying to create more buzz around the book. This is an excerpt that is, in essence, a sidebar describing things that a blogger can do to build trust with his readers. That is a critical ingredient to gaining readership and influence. Without trust, you are just another peeping noise emanating from some deep unfound place in the blogosphere.
It is (with permission) adapted from Kathy Sierra’s Dating Rules For Software.
1. Look Your Best � As a blogger, you certainly don�t have to be the most-read blog in the blogosphere. You don�t even have to be close. But by placing a good foot forward, you can make yourself very attractive to other readers and bloggers.
2. Be fun. Don�t be negative. Be the one others want around. In other words, positive people make people feel secure and want to read more from you.
3. Be trustworthy and consistent. By doing so, people will feel that they can trust what you have to say.
4. Don�t be Fake. Talk about what you know. You have intimate knowledge of what you know and you should definitely take advantage of that.
5. Be polite, and be helpful. In other words, invest in your users. Make them feel as if they are important and you care about what they care about.
6. Be forgiving. If you are one of these folks that post lots of controversy, expect to get push back. When you do, don�t hate those readers who ruffle feathers. Instead, embrace them and let them teach you maybe.
7. Be sensitive, be a good listener. Like being forgiving, the opposition that will likely come to you if you tend to be controversial is good. Opposition tempers and, at the same time, sharpens your stance. The key is not shutting out the opposition but allowing them to mold your way of thinking.
8. Don�t assume you�re an expert. Nothing will turn folks away from your blog quicker than a self-made expert. Nobody has a corner on everything. Don�t assume you do either.
9. Be fun. There are several blogs I visit simply for the laugh factor. People like to laugh and they will soften up to you when you make them laugh.
10. Don�t assume there�s no competition. You are not the only blogger in your area. There are others and probably some that are better than you. Keep that in mind when trying to build trust with your users.
11. Check your ego with the valet parking attendant. While a certain degree of confidence is good when writing and building trust, being cocky and arrogant is a sure fire way of chasing readers away.
12. Married people DO have more sex. This goes back to consistency. Anyone can have a one-hit wonder that draws lots of traffic and page views, but in the end, does it have staying power? Wouldn�t it be more effective to stabilize and ongoing, consistent, steady stream of traffic.
